Another World
by colorlessem0tions
Summary: Emma has never been able to trust, not after Neal left her. But when she and Killian explore Never Land together, in hopes of finding Henry, will she learn give him a chance? Most of all, will she let her heart love again? Mainly Canon. WIP
1. Prologue

Prologue

* * *

_"So I will try to find another one_

_Who suited me as well as her."_

_- Ed Sheeran, Sunburn_

* * *

_ Killian watched horrified as Rumpelstiltskin tore Milah's heart right out of her chest. "No!" He cried, but it was too late._

_He looked down at Milah, for one last time. "I love you," She whispered, her blue eyes silently telling him goodbye; goodbye for the last time._

_Before Killian could tell her he loved her, that he would always love her, Milah suddenly stopped breathing. He turned to Rumpelstiltskin, watching the dust blow from his hand as he grinned evilly, and victoriously. But Killian could see right through him, and he noticed the heartbreak and anger in his eyes. _

_And in that moment grief that he would never see Milah again, that he wouldn't get to touch her, that he wouldn't get to kiss her, and that he wouldn't get to start a family with her turned into rage. Anger burned in his eyes, and a desire for revenge began to rot his heart away, but he didn't care. He _would _avenge his love, his Milah._

Killian woke up, sweat beads dotting his forehead. Had he really forgot about Milah? Had he really forgot about avenging her? Had he really forgot about killing Rumpelstiltskin?

_Emma…_

No, he couldn't be thinking about her right now. She was just supposed to be a distraction. She was just supposed to be an escape.

_But she ended up being so much more, didn't she?_

Sad, but beautiful green eyes had replaced bright, bubbly blue ones. Golden blonde locks had replaced dark black curls. Soft pink lips had replaced deep coral ones. And a broken, fragile, yet a strong heart replaced an easy, confident heart.

_Emma replaced Milah_.

Killian wasn't supposed to let that happen. He wasn't supposed to forget Milah. He _was _supposed to avenge her.

But was this really avenging Milah? Was killing Rumpelstiltskin supposed to make her happy? Maybe killing him wasn't for her, but _himself_.

Maybe it was time to move on from Milah, just not _forget _her. Maybe it was time to move on from killing Rumpelstiltskin. Maybe it was time to love again. Maybe it was time to live a different life. Maybe it wasn't too late to change his path. _Maybe it was time to save himself._ But only maybe.

In the back of his head, a certain pair of lonely green eyes awaited him…

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	2. Midnight

Chapter One

* * *

_"Midnight doesn't last forever,_

_Dark turns to light."_

_- One Direction, Irresistible_

* * *

Emma stood at the hull, hovering over the deck of the ship. Her hair shone white beneath the moonlight. Her eyes glistened, looking ten shades deeper than her natural light green. Even the stars didn't have the certain radiance that Emma had in her eyes. She gazed into the night sky, losing herself in the darkness of the night, and the brightness of the stars.

In all the beauty, she forgot what she was really here for. She was traveling to Never Land, with _Killian_, of all people. She was there to find her son, whom she _lost _in the first place.

She held her head in frustration, cringing at the sudden harshness of her thoughts. It was her fault. Henry was taken because of her. She should've realized that Greg and Tamara weren't who they said they were sooner.

_What the hell are you doing, _Emma asked herself snapping out of the trance, and escaping her demonly thoughts. _This is not your fault; this isn't anybody's fault. So stop feeling story for yourself, and go back to being your bad-ass self._

She obeyed her self-conscious, and left her deck, returning back to her cabin. On the way, she tripped on a loose floorboard. But instead of falling to the ground, and busting her face open like she expected, she felt a strong arm catching her. She recognized who it was as she felt the steely point of a hook gently slide down her hip. She glanced up at him, staring into blue eyes, so intense, so startling, but yet so beautiful.

"It's best if you be careful, lass," He murmured, never once breaking eye contact. "Unless you have a death wish."

Emma broke away from Killian's grip, now irritated. "I was," She retorted, not really focused on him, however. But focused on the lingering feeling of his hand on her shoulder, and his hook brushed against her hips.

"Oh really?" He asked, unfazed, with an eyebrow raised, not even bothering to hide his amusement in his voice. "Well, it seemed like you were going to split your face."

She gritted her teeth at that. She had it under control. "Whatever," She said, pretending to wave it off casually. "Besides, what are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep." He answered easily, with a shrug of his shoulders. "And what about you, love?"

"I guess I could say the same." Emma admitted. It was hard for her to get to sleep for the past week, but today – for some reason – was just unbearable.

"They say a sad soul is always up past midnight." Killian stated quietly, his eyes distant and someplace else – someplace far away.

"But it's not even midnight." She muttered. It couldn't be. She had left her cabin around ten. There was no way she spent over two hours just watching the blackness that surrounded her.

"Oh, but it is." He argued, and the both of them looked up at the sky enough. Sure enough, the moon shone directly above them, the stars looking shadowy circling it.

"Would you look at that … "She whispered, her voice lingering. They continued staring up at the stars, embracing the silence as the stars shone for the two of them.

"Killian," She whispered, shattering the silence. Killian's head jerked over to Emma, surprised at her fragile expression, but even more surprised at the one word that escaped her lips. It's been ages since anyone called him … _that_. The world knew him as Hook – an object; a pirate. But when Emma called him by his name, he felt like a person once again. "Killian, I'm scared." Her voice was cracked, and he never saw eyes so lost and hurt before.

"Don't be," He whispered, pulling her toward him. He held her securely, but gently. His hook was grazing her waist, and his hand was supporting the nape of her neck.

"But what if I can't find Henry?" She buried her face in the crook of his neck, trying hard to ignore how good it felt. With Killian wrapped around her, it felt like _home_. "I can't lose him, not again."

"That won't happen; I won't let it." Killian breathed into her blonde locks. "You'll find him – we'll find him. No matter how hard it'll be, no matter how long it'll take. We'll find your boy, I know it."

Emma clutched him even tighter. She fought back the tears, but they came anyways. Teardrops softly dropped from her eyes, skimming across his leather jacket. But she didn't care about the tears anymore. She didn't care about anything at this moment. All she knew was that Killian made her fears and doubts disappear and she now held on to her hopes tighter than ever. And this time, she refused to let them go.

* * *

Emma woke up, sweat beads dotting her forehead. She was gasping heavily. That nightmare last night caused toss and turns, and she wouldn't be surprised if it also triggered screams.

_She found Henry, but something was different about him. There was something about his eyes – they were hard, and emotionless. They looked angry._

_ "Why are you here?" He asked, his words cold as ice, and stabbing her – hurting her worse than any knife or sword could. "I didn't ask for you to find me."_

_ "Henry, we came back for you." Emma whispered softly, hoping that the two boys that were standing next to Henry – each both shooting her cruel glares – wouldn't hear her. She reached a hand for him, but he backed away._

_ "I never told you to come back for me." He sneered. "I'm happy here, happier than I've ever been; happier than I could _ever_ be with you and Regina always fighting. So just leave me. Leave Never Land."_

_ "But Henry – "_

_ "No; I stopped being Henry the moment I came here."_

* * *

"Aye, what's the matter, lass?" Killian asked, whispering to her and grabbing a cup of tea, taking a quick sip. "You're paler than the sail."

"Nothing," Emma hissed. She sighed, taking a long drink of her tea. It was burning hot, but she didn't even register than pain. "I'm fine." She said, calmer this time.

"If you've got sea sickness – "

"I said I'm fine!" Emma snapped, practically yelling at him. Heads jerked in their direction. Snow and Charming looked confused, Gold looked rather annoyed, but Regina looked … smug. She groaned, deciding to go back to her cabin.

There was a knock on her door. She groaned; she just wanted to be alone. "What?" Emma grumbled, reaching for a pillow and burying her face in it.

"Can I come in?" It was Snow; her voice was quiet, and sweet.

"Sure," Emma muffled into her pillow. She didn't think that Snow would be able to understand her, and sure enough, she didn't. But she came in anyways, sitting beside her.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Snow asked, concerned.

Emma moved the pillow from her face, now grasping the pillow against her chest. "I'm fine; it's just a bad day."

"Don't lie to me." Snow sighed, frustrated with her. "I know you, you don't just 'have a bad day' for no reason."

She gave in; she knew her mother wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted. "I'm worried that I'll lose Henry. Nut what I'm really scared of is we'll find him, but he's someone else. Then I'll have _truly _lost him."

Snow's green eyes were soft and sad. Emma looked into them, eyes that she also had, like she was trying to find all the answers of the universe in them. "Emma, that won't happen. Henry _loves _you." She held her gently. "Hooks wants to talk to you, if you're up to it." She whispered. _It's Killian,_ She thought to herself.

Snow let her go, to see her reaction. Emma nodded slowly and hesitantly, as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to see him. Snow left the room, and Killian entered.

"Swan?" Killian asked, slowly stepping toward her. His voice was haunting and slow as if he wasn't sure if he should be doing this or not.

"Hook." Emma replied coldly and emotionlessly. She put her walls back up; last night, her walls came crumbling down and Killian saw the side of her she never wanted him to see.

"I see the walls are back up." Killian noted dully. Though his words were harsh, Emma saw right through them. He seemed disappointed.

"That's not my fault." It _wasn't_; it was her fault that they ever came down in the first place. "What do you want, Hook? Don't you have a ship to attend to?"

Killian ignored her question, asking a question of his own. "How hard do I have to try to knock down those walls of yours, Swan?" _Because you've already knocked down my walls down, without even trying. _

"You've got walls of your own, Hook." Emma shot back, not answering the question. "I know you do, and I get why. You don't want to love again." _Just like me…_

Killian sighed. "You didn't answer my question." He said, not bothering to argue with her about what she just said. _It was true_.

"And you didn't answer my question." Emma snorted. "Plus, I asked you _first_."

"Fine," Killian sighed, giving in. There was a victorious smirk on her face. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed odd last night, and that outburst earlier made me _sure_ that something's up." He finally sat down beside her. "It's about Henry, inn 'it?"

"Yeah," Emma whispered, staring at the floorboards. They needed to be cleaned…

Killian reached for her chin, pulling her face toward him. "Look at me when I'm talking to you." The way he said it, it wasn't a command, but he was _begging _her. "Tell me what's wrong." _Please._

"I'm scared – terrified – that Never Land will change Henry. Who knows what a place like that will do to him? What if it breaks him and turns him emotionless?" She felt tears forming, but she wouldn't let them fall – not this time. Lately all she'd been doing was cry. "I don't want that to happen; I don't Henry to end up like _me_."

Killian kissed her forehead, holding her firmly. "You're a great person, lass. Henry would be lucky to end up like you. You're strong. There ain't _nobody_ who compares to you."

"Okay," She sniffled. "You can let me go now."

Killian's grip on her only tightened. "No; not yet." He murmured into her hair. "Tell me you forgive me."

"Forgive you?" She repeated, confused. "For what?"

"For everything." He replied. "Tell me you forgive me, or I won't let you go." He whispered into her skin, his lips brushing against her with every word, sending shockwaves everywhere.

"Okay; I forgive you." Emma, gasped, suddenly uncomfortable at how close Killian was, but even more uncomfortable with how much she liked it.

"There's a good girl." Emma could feel the smirk on his lips against her skin. She felt him let her go, her body spun around. When she stopped, she noticed Killian over at the door. "I'll go now." He opened the door.

"Hook!" She called. He turned around, his blue eyes piercing her. "It'll take a lot." She said, finally answering his question from earlier.

_But I think you've got it…_

* * *

"Bloody bluggering fuck!" She heard Killian exclaim when she finally left her cabin. "What the hell is going on here?!"

She saw Gold – or Rumpelstiltskin – drifted over the deck, nearing falling off with a fuming Regina pressing a knife against his neck. Snow and Charming looked petrified.

"He blamed it on me! _Me." _Regina yelled, pressing the knife even further into Gold's neck, drawing drops of blood. "Henry did _not _get taken because of me! It was because of…" Her dark eyes wandered around, landing on Emma for a slight second. "No one; it was no one's fault."

Hook reached a hand on Regina's shoulder, pulling her away from Gold. "Calm down, love." Emma felt waves of jealousy crashing over her at the sight of the two of them. But she overlooked them. Killian wasn't hers to love, and he never would be. "There's no need to be drawing blood over such a small spite."

Regina scowled at him, pushing him away. "There is," She sneered. "I'm not taking the blame for something I didn't do. I refused to tolerate _that_ or _him_." She shoved him aside, returning to her cabin.

"Well," Gold said, managing to break the silence. "Will anyone care to attend to this wound?" He asked, sounding smug.

Everybody remained silent. After many seconds past, Snow stepped over to him. "Come with me." She said, waving him over to her cabin. "I think I have a first-aid kit."

"So, where exactly are we going?" Emma asked Killian when everybody was back in their cabins. Gold said something about taking a nap, Regina was eating, and who knew what Snow and Charming were doing.

"Picaninny's Port," Killian said matter-of-factly. "That's where I docked last time I was here. It's the safest place."

"If you know where it is, how come we've been wandering the seas aimlessly for almost more than a week? If Gold is correct, we should've been there two days ago." She countered. "Weren't you there for, I don't know, _centuries_?"

The corner of Killian's lips twitched for a small second. "Right you are, lass. However, the Picaninny's are roaming. They'll get up and leave every few dozen years or so. And even so, their location is very well obscured."

"Because of you?" Emma asked, her green eyes narrowed, and her lips smirking. "Something about Tiger Lilly, right?"

"Indeed," He muses, shooting her a sly grin. "I remember that girl, Tiger Lilly… charming, _charming_ lass she was. However, she was rather annoying when she talked. But, I suppose it's a good thing we never really talked when we spent time together, right?" His eyebrows wiggled at her playfully.

"Not funny," She retorted, not amused. She still doesn't understand why Killian did this to her, made her feel all tingly, all jealous…

The last person who ever made her feel like that was Neal.

"I wasn't aiming to be, darling." He replied effortlessly, smiling when he noticed her tightened fist. "As lovely as those Picaninny maids are, they could never compare to your beauty."

"What – "Emma starts stuttering, her lips sputtering out incoherent words, her cheeks blushing frantically. "No, I – "

"Don't worry," Killian waved it off easily. "As I was saying, we can dock at Picaninny's. We can search the island during the day, and return as the sun sets."

"Why can't we just stay with the Indians? I'm sure they wouldn't mind, if we could just persuade them … "Her mind wandered over to the food she packed. Would the Indians like Cookies and Cream chocolate bars …?

"As pleasant as that would be, no. Never Land is as dangerous as it is beautiful, dear; maybe even more. Never Land doesn't want you to ever leave, hence the name _Never_ Land. If we return to the ship before the sun has completely set, we're safe."

"And of course, there are numerous amounts of beats, such as the mermaids." He added, looking Emma over. "Oh, I don't think the mermaids would like you darling, the pixies either."

Emma looked down at herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Why? What's wrong with me? Am I not likeable?"

"No, you're quite likeable, lass." Killian breathed, suddenly having an urge to touch her cheek, but chances were she would end up punching him. "But the mermaids – pixies too – they're both jealous creatures. And well, if they see you, they've got even more reason to be jealous." His words trailed off.

Her blush had calmed down earlier, but it still remained. She wouldn't be surprised if now they were back to a bright red. "No, not really…" She whispered softly.

"Aye – "He began to argue with her, but then he noticed something. From the distance he saw the coast of the island. There was smoke burning off and he knew right away he found Picaninny's port. "We're here lass."

* * *

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	3. Wounds

Chapter Two

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_"You put your arms around me,_

_And I'm home."_

_- Christina Perri, Arms_

* * *

When Emma was little, one of her first families took her to the park for the first time. She was only five and she had never been so excited for anything before.

"Look, Em, there it is!" Charlotte said, pointing to something far away, something Emma's eyes couldn't see yet.

"We're here?" Emma asked excitedly, her green eyes glowing brightly. Right now, she only saw a Starbucks building, but she couldn't care less if that was the park.

That caused Hayden, Charlotte's husband, to laugh. Charlotte shot him a dirty look. "No, not yet sweetheart, but we're almost there."

* * *

The sun had just set, and the sky was the blue that you only saw right before nightfall. Streaks of pink and orange still remained in the sky, however looking very faint.

Telling the rest of them that we were here when we weren't yet reminded her of that experience. She'd gotten their hopes up unnecessarily.

"We're here?" Snow asked, running to Emma, dragging along Charming with her. "We've reached Never Land?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Uh, no," She scoffed, pointing at the vast amounts of ocean that surrounded them. "But we're almost there. Do you see that cloud of smoke over at the treeless part of the island? That's our destination, that's Picaninny's Port." Emma said.

Charming looked annoyed. "You woke us up to tell us we're _almost_ there?" He ridiculed, shaking his head. "What's the point in that?"

"Just to – "

"Come on, mate," Killian interjected, grinning madly. "We all know that whatever you and Snow were doing, you were _awake_."

Snow started blushing furiously, keeping her eyes glued to the ground. But before Charming could argue, Emma cut him off. "Ew," She said, sounding disgusted. "How about we _not_ talk about what my _parents_ do in a bed together? They were sleeping and let's keep it to _that_."

"C'mon Snow, let's go back to _sleep_." Charming grumbled, stomping back to his cabin. Snow shot them both a disapproving look before following him.

"Well, love, I think it's time for me to go to sleep, too." Killian muttered. "Care to join me?" He asked suggestively, grinning at her – all teeth.

"No thanks, I think I'll be fine on my own… "She said, deciding to return to her own cabin – which, conveniently, was across from Killian's – still wondering if she should've told him yes…

The last thing Emma saw before she fell asleep was a pair of blue eyes, the color of the sea, the color of the storm, and everything else in-between.

* * *

"What the hell is going on here?" Emma asked. She woke at noon up to a furious Killian and a ship circling the coast of Never Land.

"Damn Picaninny's Port," He grumbled, more focused on finding it than talking to Emma. He hadn't even bothered to look at her yet. "Blasted place picked itself up and moved somewhere else while we were asleep."

"Hook," Emma placed a gently hand on his shoulder, and it was only then when he looked at her. Emotions she'd never seen before burned passionately in his eyes with the power of the seven seas. "Don't take this so hard on yourself."

"I'm not," He argued, turning his back on her once more. He spun the wheel to the left as he reached the corner of the island. "The blame is rightfully mine; I should've been awake, I should've followed it."

"Killian," She placed both hands on his shoulders, pulling him to her and holding him in place. She looked directly into his eyes, and she saw herself in them. She saw eyes of a person who fought, a person who's still fighting; a person who's on the verge of giving up. She saw piercing blue eyes turn into a harsh black, containing the mysteries of the universe. "Calm down, don't beat yourself up for this."

"Oh, the things you do to me Swan; you absolutely melt my heart," He sighed, his hand softly trailing down her cheek, surprised that she didn't even flinch. And despite how desperately he attempted to sound sarcastic, Emma believed he meant every word of it. "I may have told you this before, but we make quite a team."

"Get the hell away from my daughter," Killian stepped away from Emma, revealing rather an angry Charming and a concerned Snow. He carried a sword, pointing it at Killian. As Charming neared, he backed up, until he was against the port wall. "What was that, over there?"

"Just admiring your daughter," Killian replied smoothly, almost amused. He would've found the whole situation funny, if it weren't for the fact that he could fall overboard at any given moment.

But there was no way that Charming would push him into the sea, right? They need him. Who else would sail the ship and guide them as they explored through Never Land?

The sword he held now stabbed Killian, just barely digging into the skin just above his heart. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it could if he didn't get it cleaned up soon. "Admire her from afar then, _pirate_." He growled, leaving him. He had enough bullshit for one day.

"It's not like she didn't like it…" Killian muttered to himself, but Charming heard him anyways. That was the last straw for him.

He spun around, and threw a punch at Killian. Above his left eye, blood slowly dripped down his face. "I hoped you like that, Hook." That time he left for sure.

Emma walked toward Killian, reaching her arm toward him. Her hand softly touched the cut, then trailing down to the blood paths. "Damn, you're such an idiot, Hook."

He smirked at her. "At least I'm still pretty, right?" His smirk turned into a full-on grin as she wiped the blood away. "Shall I take that as a yes, Swan?"

"Whatever gets you to sleep at night," She sighed, resisting the urge to return the grin. "What were you thinking, messing with David?" She pulled Killian up, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and her arm around his waist to support him.

Killian shrugged, also wincing in pain. "I dunno, I suppose I thought you were too old for your Dad to still be protecting you."

"Apparently, I'm not," _And I guess I'll never be_, she thought silently to herself, shaking her head. Why couldn't the two of them accept that she was old enough to handle her own situations? "C'mon Hook, your wounds need attending to."

* * *

She sat him on her bed, and then dug around in her drawers. She managed to find a reasonable sized Band-Aid and a bottle of run.

She sat across from him, he took off his jacket, but his shirt remained. She groaned at how difficult he was doing, deciding to take care of the slight cut above his left eye first. She tore off a small piece of fabric from her shirt, pouring the run over it. To her surprise, Killian barely reacted as she cleaned the cut and blood. She opened the Band-Aid and carefully stuck it to the cut.

"Shirt off," Emma muttered, tearing off a larger piece of her shirt, revealing her entire stomach and the hem of her lace bra in some areas. "Hurry up, Hook." She growled when she saw the shirt still clinging tightly against his chest.

"Patience, love; you'll get what you want." He shot Emma a wink before reaching his hand over the hem of his shirt, his fingers skimming over his smooth skin. He pulled the shirt over his head, and flung it to the floor with his hook. "I hoped you enjoyed that, Swan."

_You're a tease, Killian._ "No," She scoffed, and she felt her lie detector go off. _Well, shit._ Was she really trying to lie to Killian, or was she trying to lie to herself?

Emma knew Killian would try to flirt again, so before a word could escape his lips, she poured rum over the fabric and harshly pressed it to the stab wound.

Killian hissed at the sudden jolt of pain, sucking in air. She felt his muscles tighten as she pressed the cloth against his skin for another minute or so when the bleeding stopped. "You didn't need to do that, Swan." He said softly when he felt the pain numb away.

"Just returning the favor," She mumbles, remembering the night of their journey up the beanstalk.

"Ah, I miss those days." Killian sighs fondly, also thinking back to that night. Killian had a _slight_ crush on Emma – until she left him on the beanstalk.

_And now he was back to having a ridiculous crush on her – and this time she probably wouldn't desert him on a beanstalk to change his mind._

He stood up, ready to return to his cabin. "Um, Hook," Emma said nervously, playing with her fingers. "Why don't you rest here for a while? We could watch movies on my laptop or something…"

"Sure, I suppose I could just ask the crocodile to watch the ship." He left to Rumpelstiltskin's quarters. When he returned, Emma was lying in bed, with the… _laptop_ open.

They began to watch Peter Pan, and in the middle of the movie, he wrapped his arms around her – for body heat.

Killian thought that she wouldn't notice, but she did. She just didn't mind. No, she didn't mind the feelings of Killian's arms around her – the feeling of home – at all.

* * *

"That movie was bloody bullshit! They got everything wrong!" Killian groaned when they finished watching it. "I looked like an old man! My hair was way too long, my mustache was _way_ off, and bloody hell, the costuming was terrible!"

"Why, I think they portrayed you brilliantly, Hook," She teased, grinning widely at him, almost _mockingly_. "And it's a children's tale, whad' ya expect?"

"I expect not to look like my hook rearranged my face! And the entire plotline was wrong! Peter Pan was no savior, lass. He was a damned monster."

"Well," Emma sighed, removing the disk from her laptop. "If you think the producers of the movie got it wrong, why don't _you_ tell me the true story?"

"I suppose we have the time for that." He sighed. The story of Peter Pan was rather a long one; one he was too familiar with. "It all started with a little boy named Peter. He was an orphan. He met a charming, young lass who reminded him of his mother. One day she was adventuring off to a far off land, and though she warned him to just stay at home, he insisted on traveling with her. So off they went to the new land – to Never Land."

"But before I tell the rest of the story, you need to know that originally Never Land got its name because the people who reside there never age. Young Peter and the lass stayed in Never Land for quite some time before she wanted to leave. But Peter didn't want to go; he wasn't ready to grow up. So she ended up leaving him and he lost the only mother figure he had."

"So anger, loss, pain turned Peter into somebody he wasn't. It ripped apart his innocence and caused him to become a different person. He became emotionless, he was a monster. After a long, _long_ time Peter also desired to leave Never Land, realizing that he didn't truly want to be a ten-year old forever."

"But Never Land didn't want Peter to leave. It became obsessed with making sure Peter stayed forever. But after years and years, he did it. He managed to escape. But it cost him a lot – his _youth_. The kid in Peter was stripped away from him, and when he left he immediately became an adult. And as for the youth of Peter Pan, the good times became a fairy – not sure which one – and the bad times became the _Shadow_."

"The Shadow was infatuated with finding Peter and reunite with them. He would kidnap children and force them to stay in Never Land, but none of them were him. Of course he has no idea that Peter grew up. To this day, he's still kidnapping children and recruiting them to his forces – the Lost Children."

"So," Emma said, slowly. "Are you telling me that you never kidnapped Tiger Lily?" She asked teasingly. Though she was making a joke, the true story of Peter Pan terrified her a lot.

"No!" Killian sighed. _Was that really the only thing you got from that?_ "I told you before that Tiger Lily was annoying, I couldn't stand to be in the same room with her for more than an hour."

"But, I thought – "

"It was a one-time thing, darling. And it took a _lot_ less than an hour." He said, smirking at her.

Knots of jealously tightened in her and she clenched the blanket beneath her, and it made her confused. It wasn't like Killian was the image of innocence, so why did she feel this way? She took a breath and silently calmed down, releasing the blanket. "Okay, but what about Wendy Darling? And Tinker Bell?"

"Wendy?" Killian thought, and for what seemed like an eternity, he managed to remember who she was. "Wendy… Wendy never met Peter Pan. She only knew the _Shadow_. While he was looking for boys, he came along Wendy, who was trying hard to protect her brothers from him. He became very intrigued by her, so he decided to take all of them. Back in Never Land, he was cruel to her, he treated her like a slave, forcing him to be the 'mother' to all the Lost Children, only because he was confused by what he felt for her. He was in love with Wendy Darling – or rather obsessed."

"And as for Tinker Bell," Killian said, taking in a breath. "Tinker Bell was in love with Peter Pan. She loved him very deeply, but Peter never knew. As a child, he didn't know what love was. He understood lust; he understood desire, but he couldn't wrap his head around the concept of love. It wasn't until he left Never Land that he finally understood why Tinker Bell acted the way she did around him. And he regretted it very much for not seeing it sooner."

"Didn't Tinker Bell hate Wendy?" Emma asked. "She tried to poison her in the movie…" Right now, Emma was unsure of everything. Killian was right; they did get the movie wrong.

"Of course not! After Peter left, all Tinker Bell had was the Shadow. At first she tried to see the best of him, she tried to see _Peter _in him, but eventually she understood that the boy she loved had left for good and what was left of him was a monster. So when she saw that he had Wendy in his clutches, she did everything in her power to help her escape. She even tried to force her to rink a transporting potion."

"And what's your role in all of this?" She asked, leaning in with her eyes peering into his. "You can't tell me that you had _nothing _to do with this."

He also leaned in; close enough to steal a kiss. But every word that slipped out of him caused his lips to brush against Emma's, leaving her feeling breathless and hating that feeling. "Oh, it's quite the opposite, darling. I had _everything_ to do with Peter Pan's tale; just not in the way you think. But, that's a story for another time, lass. I'm saving it for a rainy day."

"Well then," Emma said, failing to hide her disappointment. "Why don't we watch a different movie? You can pick this time."

"Another one of those wretched things?" Killian sighed. He looked down at Emma's hands, carefully inspecting each movie she held. "How about… that one?" She laughed as she saw him point his hook to the cover of Pirates of the Caribbean.

"Sure, Hook," She said, sliding the disk into the port and starting the movie. "I think you'll enjoy this one…"

* * *

"Shut up!" She groaned, covering her ears. Unfortunately, Killian wouldn't stop talking about how good the movie was. And it was giving Emma a headache. "Shut the hell up, Hook!"

"What?" He asked, grinning at her. "All, I'm saying is that, that was a good movie. I think I'm beginning to like these moving picture things. Jack Sparrow was – "

"Out of my room!" She said, resisting the urge to laugh. "I want you out of my room right now! Go run your ship or something, I don't care!" Killian refused to move, so she pushed him off the bed. "Now!" She snapped, laughing at the sight of Killian tumbling on the floor.

"All, right, love," He said leaving her room. She smiled at the door, but her smile soon disappeared as she wondered about the things Killian did to her. What was happening? Was she falling again, for _Killian_?

* * *

She joined Killian and the others to eat "dinner." Of course, Emma wasn't really sure if she could call it dinner if it consisted of a bag of Siracha chips, Twix bars, and small glasses of rum. Food supplies were really scarce now, and they needed to restock, _soon_.

"Dinner" was quiet and awkward. There was too much tension going on between everybody. Regina was still mad at Rumpelstiltskin for blaming it on her for losing Henry. Rumpelstiltskin was still mad at Regina for cutting him. Charming was still mad at Killian for being with Emma.

"So," Emma muttered uncomfortably, breaking the silence. "How has everybody been doing?"

While David, Rumpelstiltskin, and Regina mumbled, "No," Killian and Snow happily said, "It's been fine."

"Nice to know…" Suddenly she lost interest in her food. She raised an eyebrow at Snow, looking at her food in between glances, and she shrugged, nodding at her. Emma pushed the plate toward her.

"Well, I think I'll go watch the ship, see if we made any progress with finding Picaninny's Port… "Killian muffled.

"I'll join him!" She said, finally finding an excuse to leave them. She followed Killian to the wheel.

"Can't stand to stay away from me, love?" He asked, his eyes on the ocean and his lips smirking at her. He spun the wheel three knobs to the right – _starboard_, wasn't it?

"As if," She snorted. "I just needed an excuse to leave dinner." She said, now paying attention to the sunset. The sky was pink and orange, the clouds appeared gold. Then she noticed smoke in the air. Her eyes wandered toward the direction of the smoke, to a treeless part of the island. "Hook, I think I found Picaninny's Port."

* * *

**Reviews?**


	4. Arrival

**Notes:** The beginning of the chapter of kind of crappy, but I like the ending. Somewhat Captain Swan feels in this chapter, so enjoy

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

_"Never trust_

_A pretty face"_

_- Emma Swan, (From Tallahassee to Never Land, Fan Fiction)_

* * *

Emma always loved the story of Peter Pan. She saw herself in Peter. Neither of their parents wanted them and neither of them ever wanted to grow up.

* * *

_ "Go away, Emma!" Penny yelled at an eight-year old Emma. They were playing Red Rover in the field and Emma wanted to join them._

_ "But I want to play too." Emma whispered, pouting. At her old school, Red Rover was her favorite game to play during recess._

_ "No," Penny said, walking up to Emma, pushing her away from the rest of her friends. "We don't play with motherless freaks like you."_

_ Tears stung Emma's eyes. But she refused to let them fall. That's not what strong girls do – and Emma wanted to be a strong girl. Instead, she threw a tough blow at Penny, right in her face. Delight warmed her insides as she saw the blood drip from Penny's nose._

_ After that she found herself in the principal's office, crying as she read Peter Pan for the first time, because she realized that Penny was right – she was a motherless freak._

_ Needless to say, she never played Red Rover again after that day._

* * *

_ "Emma!" Her current mother scolded as Emma picked up broken pieces of a fine china plate. But luckily for her, it was a rather ugly one…"Geez, you're such a failure, can't you do anything right?"_

_ That was a low blow and it hurt her a lot. It was her first time washing dishes and it wasn't her fault that the wild fox out the window scared her. She dropped all the broken pieces of the plate, running to her room, crying._

_ It wasn't the first time her 'family' criticized her either. Memories of what they said to her face and behind her back came back, flooding her with the thoughts._

_ Emma, your smile is too crooked._

_ Emma, your handwriting isn't neat enough._

_ Emma, you have a terrible attitude._

_ Emma, you're worthless._

_ Emma, we should've adopted someone else._

_ So at the age of twelve, Emma ran away for the first time – taking with her only a few hundred bucks and her stolen principal's copy of Peter Pan._

_ She greatly wanted to run off to Never Land._

* * *

"So this is the famous Never Land," Emma grumbled, still struggling against the rope. "Not as great as I was hoping it'd be…"

The moments that the Indians saw that they were with Killian, they captured them all and tied them up – two to a tree. Of course, Emma was stuck with Killian.

An Indian came up to the two of them, he appeared to be the chief of them all. "Why are you are?" He asked Emma with a thick accent, trying hard not to pay attention to Killian.

Killian opened his mouth, but she kicked him, closing it. _Keep it shut, dumbass_. "We docked our ship nearby, along the camp, and we're just passing through. Sorry if we bothered you."

"You don't wish to harm us?" He asked, his eyes flickering toward Killian, somehow managing to look darker than black and harsher than life, but when they returned to Emma, it was back to its warm, soft brown.

"No, no; of course not! You see I need to find my son, and Picaninny's Port was the safest place to dock the ship.

"Hm," He hesitated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Be that as it may, we can't let you stay here unless we get something in return."

"We have lots of things to give you!" Emma cried desperately when the chief turned his back on her. Her words caused him to turn back around. "They're tasty treats from another land, very, _very_, tasty treats!"

The chief turned to his consultant, shooting him a questioning look, and muttering something inaudible to her. He nodded back at him so the chief turned back to Emma. "Stone Face go cut the ropes, and follow them as they get their … _treats_."

The bulky Indian that the chief referred to earlier cautiously cut the ropes, while slyly looking over Emma. She noticed and she didn't like the feelings he gave her.

Emma and Killian returned with bags of Flaming Hot Cheetos, Sweet 'n' Spicy Chili Doritos, Cookies and Cream Hershey Bars, and even one pack of Mountain Dew. Emma would call it a miracle that they found all these food, but Killian, of course, ruined it by telling her he loaded the ship when he returned from New York with them just in case.

The chief's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the food. He muttered something to the bulky one – Stone Face – and it sounded like, "Get Tiger Lily."

Soon Stone Face came back with Tiger Lily and waves of jealousy crashed over her. That girl didn't look a day over seventeen, but she was beautiful, nonetheless. Midnight strands of hair fell down to her back, and thick, long eyelashes lined her amber eyes against golden skin.

Tiger Lily's eyes surveyed the area, stopping on Killian's hook. She gasped as she looked up at him, recognition burning in her eyes. "Pe – Killian?" She asked hoarsely.

"Hello Tiger Lily." Killian said with no emotion. "You look nice. How's Arrow Head treating you?"

"Arrow Head's lovely," She sighed. Then she looked down at the food they brought to her. "What's all this? Are you trying to poison me, Killian?"

"Just our bargaining price to stay, Lil; I wouldn't dare dream of poisoning you." He said, shooting her a wink and sending blood to her cheeks.

She opened a bag of Cheetos, inhaling the scent. She popped a chip into her mouth, chewing hesitantly. "Spicy, but good," She noted, grabbing a bag of Doritos. She opened the bag slowly, taking a chip out. "I like these; they're sweet, spicy, and a bit tangy." She reached for a Cookie's and Cream bar, peeling the wrapper off. She broke off a piece, staring at it curiously. She smiled as she chewed it. "Very sweet; I like it." She took a can of Mountain Dew, her expression priceless as she worked out how to open it. She took a long sip. "I say we let them stay." She said after a long time.

Immediately the ropes that held the rest of their group were cut off. While the two Charmings looked thankful, Rumpelstiltskin and Regina looked as though they were going to bite somebody's head off.

The Chief offered Emma a bowl of fruit and Stone Head gave Snow a jug of water. "Take these and leave. We offer you the best of luck in your quest of finding your son, Emma."

_ How do they know my name …?_

* * *

"So that Tiger Lily girl seems really nice." Emma said, mumbling, as the two of them explored the trail. They decided to go in groups. Emma offered to go with Killian, since anyone else would probably end up ripping his throat out – except Regina. She'd probably try to get in his pants.

Not that she had a problem with that…

"Yeah," Killian muttered, kicking pebbles at his feet. "She's really nice…" _She's not the same girl._

"Her voice wasn't as annoying as I thought it'd be." She noted, watching carefully as he kicked the pebble.

"Yeah, I guess it was puberty or something. Her voice used to be high, shrill, and irritating, kind of like yours, lass."

She pushed him gently, not quite, but smiling at him nevertheless. "She almost called you by another name. What was it?"

"A story for another time, love."

"Where did your ego go?" Emma mumbled. She was used to a playful, flirtatious Killian. To be honest, she kind of missed it – compared to this _stranger_.

_It left the moment I returned to Never Land_. "I've still got it." He murmured, watching as the sand flew up as he kicked the same iridescent pebble over and over. "Tell me a story, lass, one to pass the time."

She thought to herself, unsure what to tell him. "Well, it was a little over a year ago when I fou – Henry found me. I was on an assignment. I currently worked as a bail bonds person – but I think you'd be more familiar with the term bounty hunter." Killian's eyebrows shot further up, if that was even possible.

Emma took in a breath, her nerves were taking over. She never told anyone this story 0 except for Snow. "I went home alone after I finished the assignment. It was my birthday, so I had this stupid little cupcake with a candle thingy, and I wished – "

She paused, frozen by fear. But the moment Killian looked at her, piercing her with eyes bluer than the sea, a warm feeling spread through her, washing away the fear. "You wished what, love." He asked softly.

"I wished that I wouldn't be alone," She whispered, smiling sadly at him. "Right after I made the wish, there was a knock on my apartment – "She noticed Killian's expression as he mouthed '_apartment_' to himself and nearly laughed at it. " – door in Boston. And when I opened it, Henry was there, telling me he was my son." Her eyes lit up without her noticing as she began talking about Henry.

"I thought he was crazy at first – I mean, how else are you supposed to react when a random kid shows up on your door step and claims your parent are Snow White and Prince Charming? But, as it turns out, the kid was right."

"It's only been a year, but I care about that kid more than I do myself. He gave me a reason to fight, to keep going. I know you'll find one too, Hook."

And with eyes of a different man, eyes that burned brighter than a flame, eyes that shone with more radiance of the sun, and eyes more mystical than midnight, he said to her ever so slightly, "One can only hope."

* * *

Weeks have gone by since they first arrived at Picaninny's Port. They haven't been able to explore the other part of the island, and maybe that was because they had to return to the _Jolly Roger _every evening before nightfall.

"Look, Hook, the others and I think it'd be best if we set up camp somewhere on the island. We haven't made any progress because we have to go back to your ship." Emma said.

Killian's eyes darkened to pure black. "Swan, I don't think that'd be best for any of us. The beasts of Never Land – including the Lost Children – like to roam at night. We're more vulnerable at night on the island." He countered.

"I'm sorry, but it's five against one – more like one-half." She said, smirking at his hook. "I'm flattered by your concern for m – our safety, but that's a risk we're _all _willing to take. Are _you_ willing to risk your safety for Henry?"

"Of course," Killian said without a moment's hesitation, his eyes slowly lightening to a pale sky blue. "He's your boy, after all."

That caused Emma to smile – her eyes appearing to be a stormy gray. "Well, I managed to get the Indians to devise us a map of Never Land," She said, swiftly pulling out a scroll of paper, carefully unrolling it, pointing to the Heart of Never Land., by Crocodile Creek."This is where the rest of us think we should set up camp. Given it's far from where we are, but it'd be an equal distance from any other part of this damn island."

He thought for a moment before grinning like an idiot. "You're bloody brilliant, Emma."

* * *

The two of them met up with the rest of the group back at the Picaninny's. Immediately Tiger Lily ran up to Emma, hugging her. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah," She said, timidly returning the hug. "We need to move out if we have any chances of finding Henry."

Tiger Lily let her go, running back to her tent. "Be right back!" She called behind her, never looking back. _She still a kid_, Emma thought to herself. _Even though she grew up, she still has the heart of a kid_. She returned, handing Emma a heavy bag. "I hope this helps, Emma. Good luck." She hugged her again, tighter this time, before running off to Arrow Head.

Snow, Charming, Rumpelstiltskin, and Regina appeared from the shadows, each of them also carrying a heavy bag on their backs. "I see you've got one too." Regina mumbled coldly, shifting her bag around.

Emma turned to Killian. "How long will it be to Crocodile Creek?" She asked, with a hand on her hip.

"One week, at the most."

"Okay then," She said, shoving her back to Killian. "You'll be our guide, since you know these parts best." They began walking, and eventually Killian fell behind them.

"C'mon Hook, hurry up. We haven't got all day, and we can't follow you if you're all the way back there." Emma snapped, feeling her sassiness return.

"Okay!" He yelled, desperately trying to catch up, but the bag was slowing him down. "Gods, what the bloody hell is in this bag?" He mumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

Emma sighed, walking over to Killian. She took the bag from him and flung it over her shoulder. "Better now?" She asked, slightly irritated.

"Much," He said, smirking at her. "But I think the bag left a bruise, kiss it better?" He asked, mock pouting at her.

"I see your ego has finally returned." She groaned, but then an idea popped into her head. "Where's the bruise?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice.

Killian's eyebrows rose as he slowly removed his jacket. He pointed to his shoulder, and surprisingly there was a faint purple bruise.

She leaned in and pressed her lips against his soft kin. She kissed it softly, he tongue delicately swirling across his shoulder. She smiled as she heard him moan softly against her when she began to gently suck on his skin. Killian tasted like the sea and sunshine. And when he least expected it, she bit down on his skin – hard. Hopefully she'd leave a mark.

"I hope that helped," Emma said, smirking at she saw him painfully rub his shoulder. She turned around, walking away from Killian, her hips swaying from side to side.

"That's my girl." She heard Charming mutter beside her.

* * *

The sun was setting when they decided to stop. They found several sheets and pillows in Snow's bag. They laid out the sheets – five to every group of two.

"Move over, Hook." She grumbled, pushing him aside, and he nearly rolled over into the grass.

He groaned, rolling back into the sheets and bumping into Emma gently. "Don't be like that, love. We promised never to go to bed angry!"

"You know what I'm going to get a drink of water." She sighed, getting up. "And technically, this isn't a bed."

She wandered off into the forest for a while before coming across a lake. She touched the water and suddenly her vision became hazy. She was growing sleepy…

* * *

Emma woke up, it was daylight and she wasn't even at the lake anymore. She looked around and saw a boy. Was it really him? "Henry," She yelled. "Henry it's me!"

They boy walked over to her and she soon realized it wasn't Henry. This boy's hair was almost black, and he has electrifying blue eyes. "I'm not Henry." He spoke with a smooth accent – it reminded her of Killian's …

"Killian?" She asked the boy croakily.

He looked at her appalled and almost insulted. "No; Killian's a pirate's name. I'm Peter!" Peter said excitedly.

_As in Peter Pan …? _"Oh, well Peter, I'm Emma and I'm lost. Do you think you can help me find my family?" She asked kindly.

"What's a family?" He asked. The word seemed oddly familiar to him, but he had forgotten what it meant. He hadn't heard that word in such a long time. He reached for Emma's hand, but his hand passed through hers. "Well that's strange."

She was going to say something about it, but then she heard a faint voice calling her name, the voice sounded familiar.

_Emma…_

"Did you hear that?" She asked Peter, but she only shook his head, confused by what she was talking about. She heard it again, and it was louder this time.

_Emma, wake up…_

Suddenly there was an odd shaking. She would call it an earthquake, buy did Never Land get earthquakes? The shaking continued until everything got blurry and she couldn't see Peter…

* * *

"Peter!" She yelled, her body jolting up. She looked around – it was still night. Then she saw kneeled Killian above her.

"Peter?" He asked, clutching his heart to feign hurt. "Emma, love, it's be best if you didn't start the habit of calling out random men's name when we're together." He leaned in, his vibrant eyes teasing her. "The only name you should be calling out his my own."

Blood flushed her cheeks, and for a brief moment, she had no idea what to do, but she came to her senses, and shoved him. "What the hell were you doing?"

"I just saved your life, lass." He said a matter-of-factly. "That lake was the Lake of Despair. Touch it, and you'll fall asleep, and dream of something that was supposed to keep you asleep forever, or until you drown."

It took a while for Emma to take in what he was saying. "Oh, well, uh, thank you, Hook. I really appreciate that."

"Do I get a thank-you kiss?"

"Not unless you want to get bitten by me again."

"Oh well, you can blame a man for trying." He shrugged, but there was something glistening in his eyes. "So, what did you dream about?"

Her eyes wandered to his, and it couldn't be a coincidence that the boy she met in her dreams – the boy who may have been Peter Pan – looked exactly like a younger version of Killian. But, of course, she knew he had her reasons for not telling her, just like she had her reasons for not telling him her secrets. "Oh, it was nothing."

* * *

**Reviews?**


	5. Memories

Chapter Four

* * *

_"Saying you forgot,_

_Is another way of saying you don't want to remember"_

_- Unknown_

* * *

Killian had led Emma up to the Hangman's Tree, hoping she hadn't figured it out yet. He wasn't ready for her to know about his past yet.

_Maybe someday I'll be able to tell her…_

He was surprised that she didn't figure it out when she met Tiger Lily. It was kind of obvious when the first syllable of it came out of her mouth. He couldn't blame her for still calling her by that name. Tiger Lily once loved _him_ not Killian.

Yes, Captain Hook was once Peter Pan.

It started when he was three, when his mother died. All he remembered of her was that she loved him deeply. Then when he was five, his fugitive father left him. One month later, Lena found him on the streets, living off streets and took him to the orphanage. He never found a family, but that was fine with him because Lena never stopped visiting him – he considered her to be his family.

When he was ten, he heard rumors about Lena leaving. He was so familiar with loss; he didn't want to lose Lena too. So when off to confirm those rumors, he convinced Lena to take her with him to the strange new land.

In Never Land, he befriended Tiger Lilly, Tinker Bell, and the Lost Boys. But lost in his new friendships, he forgotten about Lena; forgotten about the one true mother he ever had. Eventually, Lena didn't want to stay in Never Land anymore. And even though she still loved him very much, she refused to stay there with him. And Peter refused to leave with Lena to grow up.

So he lost the only mother he ever had.

Consumed by grief, anger, and betrayal, he became someone else. It took him a long time that no matter how many friends he had at Never Land; it meant nothing without a mother. So after many years, he decided it was time to leave Never Land.

Of course, Never Land didn't want him to leave. Never Land was obsessed with making sure all its residents would stay there forever, including Peter. It tried to make him forget about Lena, but Lena was imprinted into his heart.

It took him years, but he made a ship. With the help of pixies, he dusted the ship with hundreds of pounds of pixie dust. And with the help of Tinker Bell, he got a magic bean to take him to a faraway land – the Enchanted Forest.

But the moment he crossed the border, he could feel _Peter Pan _being stripped away from him. He watched as another pixie formed from the remnants of Peter Pan. And he watched as the _Shadow_ formed from the bad memories of Peter Pan.

He had no idea what the Shadow was capable of – and he didn't care either. He just wanted to leave Never Land, no matter what the price. So he left Peter Pan behind, and became Killian Jones.

But Killian had forgotten of all his fond times in Never Land. He forgot about his adventures with the Lost Boys. He forgot about the tribe ceremonies he spent with Tiger Lily. And he even forgot about the Pixie Balls he attended to with Tinker Bell.

Nonetheless it all came flooding back to him the moment he returned to Never Land.

Killian didn't take Emma to the Hangman's Tree to help her find her son – all though it would've been nice if they ended up finding Henry there. He took her to the Hangman's Tree because he missed his home. And it was about bloody time he came back to it.

"This is Hangman's Tree?" She asked, exploring the outside of it. He nodded to her. "Figures that this place is a boy's home; it's a mess, and that's just judging it from the outside."

Killian stepped into the tree. Emma followed, but tripped on a root. Killian caught her, and she looked into his eyes – catching the panic in them – for a brief moment before stepping away from him. "Erm, thanks, Hook, let's go check this place out now."

Emma began to search the tree, but Killian doesn't move. He's frozen, stuck in the recent memory of Emma in his arms, her hair smelled of lavender laced with sweet vanilla. Her skin was soft and smooth, feeling like silk. Her eyes were the vibrant blue-green of the seas.

It took a second – only a second – but he snapped out of it. He returned to his old room to search. While looking around in his room, he noticed something sparkling when the sunlight hit it.

He moved over in the direction of the item – it was beside his old tiger cloak. He picked it up and immediately recognized what it was.

It was a necklace. It had a simple gold chain with two blue tipped golden arrows hanging from the chain. Each arrow had an engraving. Engraved on the first arrow was 'Second star to the right' and on the other was 'And straight on 'till morning." It was Lena's necklace.

Memories of Lena came back to him. Things about her that he had forgotten returned to him also. The many memories that flooded his mind intoxicated him, but also choking him in the process of it all.

He hadn't even noticed when Emma walked in. He was too focused on the necklace – the only remnant of his childhood – to think about anything else. He hadn't even realized that he was causing objects to spin around the room as though there was a storm in there.

"Hook?" She asked slowly and softly, almost scared. But he couldn't hear her – he couldn't hear anything. "_Killian_!" She said, yelling over the whirl of the objects.

He looked at her – and suddenly the objects twirling around the room didn't scare Emma – but instead, his eyes did. They weren't blue, they weren't gray, they weren't green, and they weren't even black. But they were a pure gold; as golden as the necklace. His eyes flickered toward the necklace, and returned back to Emma. They were still golden, but they didn't belong to him – they belonged to a child. They were the eyes of s fragile, broken boy who had lost so much and was afraid of losing more.

"Killian," Emma whispered, choking back tears. She walked over to him and kneeled beside him, gently cupping his cheeks, her fingers grazing over his stubble. "Killian, come back to me. Killian, _please_ come back to me." She begged, letting the tears slide down her cheeks. _I need you, I might not want to admit it, but I need you…_

He looked into her eyes, clutching the necklace tighter. Deep beneath her green eyes, he saw all her secrets pouring out to him. She had also lost people. She lost a lot of people she cared about, and she was _tired_ of losing people. She didn't want to lose him too. He felt his eyes slowly divert back to his sea blue color, and heard the objects clatter to the ground around them. He wrapped his hook around her, pulling her closer to him, and holding onto her like she was his dear life. With his good hand, he brushed the tears away from her eyes. "Emma," He whispered, kissing her forehead. "Emma, I'm here, and I won't leave you." _I'll never leave you._

* * *

"Whatever just happened back there," Emma said, stepping out the tree. "I don't need to know what it was."_ In fact I don't think I want to know what it was_. "I just need to know that you're okay,: She looked back at Killian, who was following her.

"I'm fine, love." He said, brushing aside dirt, as he tried to step out the tree. It looked like he was having great difficulty, so she offered him a hand and he gratefully took it. "I'm flattered that you're worried about my well-being," He smirked as she pulled him up.

She only smiled at his egotistic remark. Emma didn't care that Killian would probably go back to flirting with her, because it meant that he was back to normal. And she preferred normal Killian to golden-eyed Killian by a long shot.

She led him out into the woods, and Killian felt pride surge through him. She'd only been on Never Land a month and she already knew these parts enough to be a tour guide.

Suddenly he felt his body being jerked away from the path. A boy held Killian by the neck, pressing him against a tree. He shuffled around as he felt the bark dig into his neck, but the boy's grip was far too strong. "What are you doing back here, _Peter_?" He hissed and Killian looked at him for the first time.

He looked no older than sixteen. His messy blonde hair was swept over his dark eyes, and he wore fox skin around his clothes. "Slightly?" Killian asked, his breath caught up in his throat.

"I told you last time that Slightly ain't my name no more." He growled, digging his nails into his skin, slightly drawing blood. "I go by Felix."

"Well I told you I don' go by _Peter_." Killian snapped. "The name's Killian Jones, but you might as well call me _Captain Hook_."

"Touché," Felix said, grinning. He let Killian go. "Look, _Captain_, you shouldn't be here, especially not with _her_." He said, referring to Emma. "The Shadow wouldn't be happy about it."

"I couldn't give two shits about the Shadow and you know that pretty damn well." He growled, his voice laced with anger. "What do you want, _Felix_?"

"I'm just trying to warn you," He replied smoothly. "You know he doesn't want you here. He may have let you go last time, but I don't think he'd be so kind this time. As for the girl, he could use another mother, since the Darling girl _escaped_." _Because of you…_

Killian gritted his teeth, a vein popping out of his jaw. "He has _her _son, Felix. I'm not leaving without him."

"The Henry boy?" Well, I'm sorry to say that the chances are likely that you won't get him back. The Shadow needs him, and he doesn't like to give up his possessions easily."

"His possessions?! The damn boy does not belong to him. He's Emma's son, not the fucking Shadow's!"

"Emma," Felix murmured. "What a lovely name. Tell me Captain, why does this even concern you? He's not _your_ boy, after all. Does this Emma mean something to you, _Killian_?"

He clenched his jaw at him. He already told him too much about her. He didn't need another girl to get kidnapped.

Felix only grinned, already knowing the answer to his own question. "It's nice to know that you've moved on from _Milah_, Killian, and to such a pretty lass, too. You must tell me where you find these women." He leaned in, nose to nose with him. "Now, consider this a warning. I won't tell the Shadow about you – or Emma. Now, go _Peter_, before I change my mind."

* * *

Killian managed to catch up with Emma, who was worriedly looking for him. "Oh, where did you go?" She asked, wiping away the few beads of sweat the traced her forehead.

"I'm sorry, love. But a blasted pixie was holding me up. I just managed to get away from its wretched clutches."

Emma felt her lie detector go off – but she ignored it. She didn't care that he was lying to her – all that mattered was that he was with her now. "Next time, tell me. And I'll shoot its head off."

* * *

Back at their camp at Crocodile Creek, Hook decided to go refill on their water supplied. Snow and David were looking for clothes, and Regina went to restock on food. That left Emma alone with Rumpelstiltskin.

"Mr. Gold," Emma said hesitantly as he turned to her with his eyebrows shot up. "I'd like to talk to you about Killian."

"Ah yes; Mr. Jones; well what is it that you need to know about the man?"

"Well, I saw something. We were searching around in Hangman's Tree for Henry and Killian was in Peter's room when – "She stopped cold. Should she really be discussing this with _Rumpelstiltskin_? "I think he's discovered magic."

"Ms. Swan, I think it's be best if you told me exactly what happened. Magic here is different, after all."

"Well, as I said, he was in the old room of Peter Pan. I finished searching the rest of the tree so I went to check on him. There were objects flying around in the room – like there was a tornado. Killian was on the ground, holding s necklace. And when he looked at me, his eyes were golden – as golden as the necklace he held. All I said was 'Killian come back to me,' and his eyes slowly changed back to his normal blue color. As that happened, the flying objects just dropped."

"Ms. Swan, judging on what you have told me, Killian did not _discover_ magic. He's _always_ had magic. In this world, magic is all about memories. The memories must've brought memories back to him that awakened his magic for a magic." _And you, dearie, put it back to sleep, thank God._

"But – but – Pirates don't have magic!"

"Pirates may not have magic, but Peter Pan did." He said, smirking at her.

"What are you saying, Gold?" She asked, glaring dangerously at him. If looks could kill, he'd be a dead man.

"All I'm saying is that he may be a pirate now, but that doesn't mean he was one when he was a child."

Emma was about to say something, but then Killian walked in. "We're not done here, Gold." She said coldly.

"On the contrary, dearie, I think we are." And with that, he left the room, ignoring Killian's presence

"What was that about?" Killian asked, setting the jugs on the ground beside him.

"Nothing," Emma said, shaking her head. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. _Killian couldn't possibly have magic._

He raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn't say anything about it, deciding that it was best to let it go.

Snow and Charming returned, holding many clothes. "Look, Emma, we found _normal _clothing!" She exclaimed. Ever since they left Picaninny's Port, all the clothes they had to wear were the clothes in the bags – and they were rather itchy.

"Regina's been gone for a while now…" Emma muttered to herself. She should've been back by now. Surely it didn't take more than an hour to find star fruit… "Guys, we need to look for Regina."

"But – "

"She's been gone for an hour." Emma snapped. "The last time we sent her to go get fruit, she was back in _under_ fifteen minutes."

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

This time the group decided not to split up and Emma decided to bring her gun with her – just in case. It took them a while, but they found her by a tree with a boy holding a knife to her throat. "Tell me who you're working for before I slit your throat." The boy growled.

"Now, now, Felix, violence won't get you anyway." Emma scoffed at that, violence was her best friend. Regina showed no emotion, not even fear. "And, if you slit my throat, you won't get any information, So, I'd prefer if you took that knife and removed it from my throat. I wouldn't want to catch any infections. "She said coolly.

If anything, Felix pressed the knife tighter against Regina's skin, backing her up into a tree. "Listen, _your highness_, you may have been a queen in your land, but you're _nothing_ here. We're not afraid of you."

A flicker of fear crossed her eyes, but they soon returned to their cold and emotionless state. "Is that so?" She asked, confidence heavy in her voice. "Well, you _should_ be," Regina growled, grinning madly at him. Suddenly there was a burst of magic coming off Regina, sending off reddish purple smoke, and Felix flew off Regina, hitting the ground.

"Well, it seems as though you've worked out Never Land magic, _your highness_." He laughed, wincing in pain.

That was when Emma popped out of the shadows, pointing her gun to his forehead. "Make another move and I'll blow your damn brains out."

He laughed even louder this time. "Oh, Emma, you look even nicer up close." She froze. How did he know her name? And what the _hell_ did he mean by that? "I think you'll be _happy_ to know that the _Shadow_ has your boy."

"What the hell have you done with Henry?!" She yelled, cocking the gun. "Have you recruited him to your forces?"

"Now, now," He tsked. "I won't tell you anything with that… _contraption_ pointed at my head." Emma slowly released the gun, pointing it at the ground just below his foot. "We have something _far _worse planned for your boy."

"Give him back!"

"Actually, I don't think I can do that." He looked up at the sky that was growing dark. "It's getting dark, I've got to go now. It was _lovely_ meeting you, _Emma_."

Emma shot her gun at him, but it was too late. He had already managed to disappear into the darkness.

* * *

**Reviews?**


	6. Siren

**Warning: Violence in this Chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

_"I swore I'd never fall again,_

_But this don't even feel like falling."_

_- Beyoncé, Halo_

* * *

Emma. Emma. Emma. Ever since that incident at Hangman's Tree, Killian hadn't been able to get her out of his mind. And what was worse was that Killian was the only one who had his eyes set on Emma.

He saw the way Felix looked at her. He looked at Emma the way Snow and Charming looked at each other every day. He looked Emma the way Rumpelstiltskin looked at Belle the last time they were together. He looked at Emma the way he looked at Milah when he first talked to her. Felix looked at Emma the way Killian himself looked at Emma when he saw her for the first time – the way he still looks at her.

Emma had no idea what she did to him. He gave up his three-hundred year quest for revenge all for her. He went back to Never Land for her – and Henry. She had this magic, and she cast a spell on him with it.

Seeing that necklace toady made Killian realize that Emma Swan reminded him of both of the only two women he ever loved in his lifetime. But not in the way you would think – Emma was a complete opposite of them.

Lena gave up easily; if she couldn't find a reason to fight, she'd leave the battle. But Emma was a warrior; she'd fight with all her life even if she had no reason to, and she wouldn't stop fighting until she won.

Milah grew up with perfect. She had everything she wanted. Emma grew up with cracked, ruined, damaged, and destroyed. But yet, she managed to put the pieces back together.

He looked over to Emma who was sleeping in the tent beside her. Her hair messily covered half of her face and she was clutching the pillow lightly, painting a picture of innocence Killian had never seen on her before.

_Stop it Killian. You need to stop thinking about her. Focus on the task at hand; help the lass find her boy. And get some sleep._

* * *

Emma's green eyes fluttered open. She couldn't pretend to sleep anymore. The feeling of Killian's warm breath against her neck was too distracting.

And the sudden desire was too confusing.

She hadn't been able to get Rumpelstiltskin's words out of her head and the memory of the incident at Hangman's Tree kept replaying in her head, forever haunting her.

Killian couldn't have magic. He couldn't be Peter Pan. He was a pirate – and Peter hated pirates. He was Captain Hook for fuck's sake. There was no way he could be both. Rumpelstiltskin was wrong – he just had to be.

On the other hand, there was a _slight_ possibility that _maybe_ Killian was Peter Pan. It couldn't be a coincidence that the kid from her dreams looked exactly like a mini-Killian and claimed to be Peter. Tiger Lily looked at Killian with such longing, familiar eyes – it wasn't the type of look you gave a man you had a one night stand with.

What was Killian doing to her? A month ago she couldn't stand to be in the same room with the man, and now it seemed like he was the _only_ person she could be in a room with. This – whatever it was they had – wasn't supposed to happen. Killian wasn't supposed to crowd her thoughts. He wasn't supposed to knock her walls down.

_But yet he did…_

* * *

Killian looked at Emma again – her hair was covering her face in such a way that he couldn't decide whether she was asleep or not. But he decided to play it on the safe side and not bother her. It was past midnight – why would she be awake so late?

Killian sighed. Maybe he needed to get some air. Stealing one last glance at Emma, he got up and left the tent, with only the light of the moon and the stars to guide him.

He kneeled down at Crocodile Creek, his hook swirling in the water. The moonlight shone brightly tonight – he could see all the fish in the creek.

What seemed like an eternity passed by before Killian decided he was ready to go back to the tent. But as he approached the woods, he bumped into something. He took a few steps back before recognizing the figure. "Swan?"

"Hook," She replied breathlessly, relief flashing in her eyes that appeared a blue-gray in the moonlight. "Thank God that was you."

"What are you doing out here?" He asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Couldn't sleep," She said easily, with a shrug. "And I need to talk to you. But you weren't there, so I decided to come look for you."

"Well, talk then, love,"

Emma walked up to him, her hand gently cupping his shoulders. "Hook," She stopped coldly, biting her lip. "Killian, today made me realize that I can't ignore this any longer." She sighed, gazing up into his stormy blue eyes. "I – I have feelings for you, Killian."

This took him by surprise, but the sincerity in her eyes calmed him down. "I – "

She put a finger to his lips. "Do you have feelings for me?"

"It's complicated, Swan."

"Emma," She said softly. "And it's a yes or no, question."

She smiled at him. "I was hoping you'd say that." And without any warning, she leaned into his her lips gently kissing his. Her hands ruffled through his hair.

It took a moment for Killian to even register what was happening. But eventually he responded with a slightly stronger force.

Her lips parted and he took it as an invitation to deepen the kiss, His tongue slipped into her mouth, grazing over her even teeth. She bit down on his bottom lip, the blood oddly soothing her.

They staggered backwards into the creek, not even caring how wet they would get. "Killian," Emma breathed, unbuckling his belt and flinging it off somewhere into the grass. "I love you."

That was all it took and Killian snapped back into his senses. The person he had been kissing was not Emma Swan.

Emma had spell-binding green eyes; _it _had harsh, stormy blue-gray ones. Emma's hair smelled of lavender; _its _smelled of salty air, reminding him of the ocean. And while Emma's touch was softer than silk, _its _skin felt scaly and rough.

Emma also wouldn't admit to her feelings like that, she'd prefer to let them eat her heart away than to open up to him. Emma would never even think about kissing him, let alone making out with him in a fucking creek.

And Emma Swan sure as hell did not love Killian Jones.

He pushed aggressively it away from him. "Get the hell away from me, demon." He snarled at it.

It hadn't given up yet. "What are you talking about? It asked, hurt wavering in its eyes. Killian had to admit, it was pretty good. Maybe he would've fallen for its tricks if it weren't for the three words that slipped out of its mouth. "I love you, Killian."

It tried to reach a hand for Killian, but he backed away. "Nice try, love, "He said harshly. "But I can tell a siren when I see one."

"A half-siren," It said, still appearing as Emma. "You're smarter than I took you for." It smirked at him as it finally began to reveal its true self.

Blonde locks started to deepen into a bright red – the color of blood. Blue-green scales appeared on her, covering her from the waist down, her arms, and her entire chest. "What gave it away?"

"Well, for starters," He said, eyes turning into harsh orbs, black as coal. "Nobody could ever love a pirate, _siren._" He spat.

"I'd prefer it if you called me by my name, Ariella." She said dismissively. "Siren just seems so harsh. It makes me feel like a monster."

"As in Ariel?"

"Kind of," She said, getting distracted from the task at hand. "Ariel was my half-sister, so my mother thought it'd be fitting to name me that." She scoffed. "Ariel and I used to be such great friends – until I accidently drowned one of her precious humans. I think he went by the name Eric." She looked taken aback, and Killian could see the memory flash in her eyes. "Who cares? He tasted wonderful." _And, I'm sure you will too._

He would've said something else, but Ariella continued talking. _Girls talk too much. _"Anyways, that was such a silly mistake. What was I thinking? '_Killian, I love you!'_" She shook her head at herself. "That was terribly foolish of me. Of course Emma doesn't love you." She eyed him. "Sure, you're attractive, but that can never change the fact that she's royalty and you're _filth_."

_You obviously don't know that I was Peter Pan, the old King of Never Land._ "There's no need to tell me what I already know, _Ariella_." He said emotionlessly.

"You're right; there isn't," She agreed, her eyes glistening mischievously. "I didn't come here for a chat; I came here for a midnight snack."

And she lunged.

* * *

She woke up, sweating and panting frantically. She had no idea what it was, but dhe had a sudden feeling of danger burning ferociously in her gut.

She looked around. _Where the hell if Killian?_ She left the tent – not even caring that she was still in her nightie – and went to look for him.

Chances were, Killian wasn't in danger, but Emma couldn't – _wouldn't _– risk losing him.

* * *

She ran toward Crocodile Creek – it was the first place she could think of. Running with all her heart, it took her two minutes to get there. And she found Killian.

In fact, she found _two _Killians.

The two of them were fighting – one was losing terribly. In fact, he looked like he was back to get bashed unconscious.

Emma focused on the Killian that was winning. That was when she saw it. He – _it _– was flickering forms – changing between the appearance of Killian and Henry.

That was all she needed to see before jumping in-between the two of them.

She pushed Killian – _her _Killian – far off into land – unfortunately knocking him unconscious. She looked over to the thing that was currently deciding to settle on Killian's appearance. "What the hell are you doing, Swan?"

"Shut the hell up!" Emma growled, before violently throwing a punch at the thing's face. The sight of blood trickling down its nose warmed her insides.

Immediately it began to reveal its true self. Bouncy, blood red curls flowed from its head. Blue eyes started to look more blue-gray. Scales appeared almost everywhere on smooth skin. And a smirk worked its way onto coral lips. _Holy shit, did she just punch the little mermaid? _"You're a smart girl, Emma." It glanced over to Killian. "I can't say the same for your friend, however."

Anger boiled within her blood. Clearly it didn't know who it was dealing with. If only Emma had brought her gun… "Stay the hell away from the people I love." She snarled. _Did I just say I love Killian?_

It walked closer to Emma and she backed away into land. "Gladly," It sneered, fangs popping out her teeth, and claws growing from her nails. "I'm sure you'll taste _way_ better than the pirate filth would."

And it threw itself at Emma, causing the both of them to tumble into the grass, with her on her back. Emma punched it again – harder this time – and split its lip. But it scratched Emma, and four medium-length gashed appeared on her arm. Emma continued throwing her fist at it, causing deep navy bruises to form on its scales. It continued to scratch her, small cuts appearing on Emma's skin.

"Why don't you just give up, Emma?" It growled. Emma found a sharp stone in the grass and quickly grasped it – making sure not to draw any attention to it. "Just to make it easier on yourself, darling."

"Now why would I ever do that," Emma asked, treacherously smirking at it. "When I'm winning?"

This took it by surprise. She took the moment to roll them around – forcing it on its back. "Oh, how the tables have turned," She murmured as it struggled against her. With that, Emma fiercely swiped the stone against the fragile skin of its throat, making sure to dig deeply into the skin. Blood violently poured from the large cut, and after a few seconds, it stopped struggling.

Immediately, Emma ran over to Killian, viciously shaking him awake. "Wake up, Hook." She growled.

Killian's eyes opened – appearing darker than the night, and stormier than the sea. "Get away from me, bloody demon."

He tried to push her away, but Emma stayed in place. "I just saved your life, Hook." She growled. "This is how you thank me?"

Killian looked at her, and he'd never been happier to see a pair of angry _green_ eyes. His eyes gradually eased back to the bright blue that she knew so well. "Well, hey there, beautiful."

His words only angered her even more. She shoved him as he tried to sit up and he hell back into the ground. "What the hell, Hook? Why were you out so damn late?"

He slowly sat back up, leaning into Emma; his lips close enough to hers to steal a kiss. "What can I say?" He murmured. "I needed some air."

"There was plenty of air in the tent." She snapped. "You said it yourself that Never Land is more dangerous at night. _So why were you out in Never Land at night?_"

"I told you, I wanted to get some air." Killian sighed. "I couldn't sleep and I decided to get out. Crocodile Creek never hand any sirens before."

"Has it occurred to you that Never Land has _changed _since you left?"

"I admit it; it was a silly mistake to come into the creek at night." His eyes peered into hers, penetrating her with a great intensity. "Why do you even care, Swan? Are you beginning to grow feelings for me?"

_I think I already have._ "As if," She scoffed, cursing herself for hesitating. "You're our guide, and I can't risk you dying before we find Henry."

_You hesitated, love._ "If you say so, lass," He took a glance at her and noticed her cuts for the first time. "Christ, you're bleeding, Emma. What did it do to you?"

"More like, 'What did _I_ do to _it_?'" Emma nodded over to the lifeless body of the siren that was slowly turning into stone and blowing away into nothingness. "What the hell was that, anyways?"

"Impressive Swan; you've killed a siren." He murmured. "They're sea creatures that take on the form of your weakness to use them against you and drown you out at sea to eat you. They're not usually found near fresh water."

_Well crap, _Emma though to herself, thinking back to the memory of the siren changing forms between Killian and Henry – like it couldn't decide which one held more of her heart. Not only was Henry her weakness, but _Killian_, too. All her life is was 'let nobody in.' And now she had already let one of them in. She was on the verge of letting the other one in. "Who did you see, Hook?" _No doubt he saw Milah; he spent over three hundred years trying to avenge her…_

He looked away, but his eyes already told her his answer before his lips could. "You," He answered hoarsely. "I saw you."

This took Emma by surprise. She'd never expect for those words to slip out of his mouth. And he wasn't even lying to her. "Hook, I – I – "She would've told him she saw him too if it weren't for the fact that he cut her off.

"C'mon, Emma," He said, not wanting to hear anymore. He knew in his heart that she probably saw Henry – or worse, Baelfire – and not him. "We need to get you back into the tent before you bleed to death."

* * *

Felix watched in the trees, disappointed in the events that had just transpired. He had sent Ariella to distract Peter, not try to eat him. He just needed to get him away from Emma for a long enough time to convince her to come with him.

Of course, Ariella would go and mess things up. What the hell had she been thinking, trying to eat Emma? Now he'd have to wait for her current wounds to heal before trying anything else.

He didn't really mind that Emma killed Ariella. In fact, he sent Ariella to the creek, out of all the sirens, because he hated her.

She was annoying. She talked too much. She never could stop gossiping. She always smelled of seaweed and sand. And she constantly tried too hard to get into his pants.

Sure, Ariella was attractive, but her ugly personality ruined it all. Plus, he preferred Ariel to her by a long shot. At least he could ensure that she wouldn't try to eat him.

But neither Ariel nor Ariella mattered to Felix anymore. It was Emma, lovely, _lovely_ Emma he wanted. Ever since the he caught her searching around in Hangman's Tree, he wanted her. Her green eyes glistened with such a power, it called to him. Her blonde hair tumbled down onto her shoulders perfectly without her even trying. Given, she was older than him by ten years or so, but he paid no attention to it. He knew a young heart when he saw one.

Maybe what he felt for Emma would pass – just like what the Shadow felt for Wendy did. But the only reason they passed was because she ran away. If she was still here, the Shadow would still be obsessed over her.

He didn't care that Peter also wanted Emma. He didn't care that Peter probably wanted her for a longer time. He didn't care that once the Shadow found out about Emma, he's also want her to be the new Mother.

He just wanted Emma. And Felix always got what he wanted.

* * *

Snow started to sew the four gashes on Emma's arm back together. "Tell me again, what happened?" Charming growled, getting ready to punch Killian again. He endangered his little girl – there was no excuse for that.

"A siren attacked her. She killed the siren."

Charming's lips twitched upward for a split second. Leave it to his daughter to kill a siren. "What the hell caused a siren to _attack _her?"

"It was my fault." He sighed. _You're damn right it was._ "I was out, getting air when the siren attacked me. Emma found me and fought the damned thing off."

"Actually, it was my fault." _Why are you defending the pirate?_ "I could've left Hook for dead." She said, smirking at Killian. _You should've… _

"All done!" Snow exclaimed, finishing up the last few stiches. "The cuts have been cleaned, just apply this ointment to it every couple hours or so." She grabbed Charming. "Let's go now." She practically dragged him out of there, but Emma managed to hear what he just said.

_I don't trust him to be left alone with her, Snow… _

"Hook – "

"Emma, love, I'd trust you know by now I prefer it when you call me by my name. After all, you'll soon be calling it out every night." He shot her a wink, but she only rolled her eyes – just _slightly _amused.

"I prefer calling you 'Hook.' And I want to talk to you about the siren. I wanted to let you know that – "

"Why don't you tell me – "

"I saw you, Hook. Well, the siren was changing between you and Henry. But in the end, it was you. I saw _you_." She sighed. "That's all I wanted to let you know. Goodnight, Hook."

"I – Goodnight, Swan."

_Well, it seems as though I've knocked down those walls of yours, Swan. Now, what will it take for me to actually get in?_

* * *

**Reviews?**

**So for anyone interested in my personal life, I'm going to my friend's quinceañera this evening! I'll post a link to a picture of me in the dress to anyone who wants to see it in the next update (does anyone want to see it...?)**


	7. Feelings

Chapter Six

* * *

_"Truly, madly, deeply,_

_I am._

_Foolishly, completely, falling"_

_- One Direction, Truly Madly Deeply_

* * *

He stood in the distance, carefully watching the blonde-haired girl. He'd never seen eyes so determined, so scared; so _lonesome._ It reminded him of Wendy's eyes. Hers were the brightest green he'd ever seen, but now he was staring at another pair of green eyes equally bright – or maybe even brighter.

Who was she?

He continued watching her, marveling at her beauty. She did things with a grace he'd never seen before. Her eyes shone brighter than sunlight. _She would make a wonderful mother… _He thought silently. _Could she replace Wendy?_

He persistently looked at her. But then fury boiled deep beneath his skin, setting his blood on fire as he saw _Peter_ talk to the blonde. He was dangerously close to her. And _she_ didn't even seem to mind.

No – he wasn't Peter. Only Killian. _He_ was the only remainder of _Peter_ – aside from that damned pixie _Luna_.

He needed to find more about the blonde.

* * *

Emma was catching berries. Of course, Killian decided to join her. He swung his basket around, _accidently_ whacking her with it – in the ass. "Fucking hell, Hook!" She cried out before also hitting him with her basket – _down there_ – berries spilling everywhere.

"_Shit Emma,_" He groaned, dropping his empty basket and falling to the ground. "I wanted to be calling out your name, but that's taking it too far!"

She only smiled at him childishly – showing off all her teeth. "Oh well," She said happily, continuing to pick berries of all kinds. Never Land was so strange – she found an orange berry the shape of a leaf. She nearly popped it into her mouth.

"Don't eat that. It's a Crave Berry. They're rare and they taste as delightful as any berry would, but poisonous as a snake's venom. One bite and you'll be dead if not treated in the next five hours." Killian warned, still wincing on the ground.

She looked at the Crave Berry in phenomenon and looked back at Killian with a raised eyebrow. "Now, how would you know this Killian?"

"I ate one around the time I first came here. My skin began to turn a purple so dark, it almost looked black. I would've died if Tinker Bell didn't find me and take me back to Pixie Hollow to heal me."

"Tinker Bell? Didn't you two hate each other or something?"

"Could you help me up, love?" He asked, holding a hand up to her. She begrudgingly took it and lifted him up. "We were very _fond_ of each other's company, if you know what I'm talking about."

She elbowed him in the gut and he nearly fell to the ground again. "She's three inches tall, which is about the size of that." She pointed down to the area where she hit him. "How does that even work out?"

He laughed, leaning into her ear, lips delicately brushing against it with every word he said. "Oh Emma, I can ensure you it's a lot larger than _three inches_." He whispered seductively, sending blood to her cheeks. He leaned outward. "Pixies can be in human form if they want – and they usually are."

"You're disgusting." She finally said to his three inches comment. She was sure it _wasn't _three inches – but she didn't want to find out. _Did she?_

"Oh, but you love me anyways."

She froze at that word, eyes deepening to a deep emerald green that could've fooled people for black. "Let's continue picking berries, Hook."

_Love's a dangerous thing. _

* * *

They returned to the campsite. Killian began to swing his basket around and _again_ hit Emma with it – _again_ in the ass. "Goddamn Hook, I swear to God, if that basket touches me _there _again, I will personally make it _becomes_ three inches."

"You don't need to make threats about _it_; you can just tell me if you want _it_."

Again, Emma hit him with her basket _down there_, but this time she was careful not to spill any berries. "Emma, love, there are people." He said, failing to hide the agony from his voice. She looked around and saw that every member of their group was staring at them. _Well, shit._

She gently dropped her basket to the ground, before deciding to go back to her tent. But someone grabbed her arm before she could reach it. "What is it now, Hook?" She asked, turning back not to see Killian, but Snow. "Oh."

"Don't be so quick to assume, Emma." Snow said matter-of-factly. "What do they say? Assuming makes an ass of you."

"Mary Margaret – "

"_Mom_ and I want to talk to you, _alone_." She pulled Emma back to her tent before she could even protest. She sat down on her sheet, but Emma decided to stand. "Sit."

"No thanks," Emma said dismissively. "I have no idea what you and David have done on those sheets, so I think I'm good standing. What do you want to talk about?"

Snow's cheeks started flushing a bright red. "We can talk when you sit down." She said sternly.

Emma reluctantly sat down across from Snow. "Let's talk about you and _Hook_. What's going on between you too?"

She immediately started laughing. "Mary Margaret, I can assure you that there is _nothing _going on between the two of us."

"Emma, just now, you hit him in his private parts with a basket of berries. I think that would mean there's _something_ going on between you two, at the very least.

"I – I – that was – "

"Don't try to lie to me, Emma. I want the truth about you two. I have a right to know. I'm your _mother_."

"I _don't even know_ what's going on between the two of us!" Emma admitted. "One day, we're watching movies on his ship, the next he's telling me he'll never leave me, then after that he goes after a siren, and now he's whacking me in my ass with a cheap basket!"

"_He did what?!_"

"Don't worry about it – I think it was on accident, anyways. And I really have no idea what's going on between us. I'm pretty sure we're friends." _But I think I want so much more… _

"Emma, right now, it seems like the two of you never got through the stage of middle-school crushes. You tease each other. You act like you hate each other. But when deep down, the both of you know that you can't live without each other."

_It's true. It's all true_. "M – Mom, I think I'm falling for him." She said through tears. Snow held her, gently wiping away all of her tears. _This is twenty-eight years too late, and I'm so sorry for that, Emma. I should've been wiping away your tears for your entire life._

"Emma, that's okay. " She said soothingly.

"No, Mom, it's _not._ I'm falling in love with a pirate; I'm falling in love with _Captain Hook_, for God's sake!"

"Sweetheart, I think the both of us know deep inside, you don't care that you're falling in love with a pirate, I think you care that you're _falling_." She whispered. "And besides, you never get to choose who you love, the _heart_ does."

"I think I love him. I know I have feelings for him, and I think it's turning into love. Love means falling, and I – I'm afraid of heights."

"Don't be afraid, honey. You have to let yourself fall before you can fly."

"I don't want to fly! It's perfectly safe on the ground. Why risk it up in the air?"

"Don't live your life in fear, Emma. I think you do want to _fly_. But, you're afraid of what happens after you fly. Don't be afraid, fear may wake you up, but it can also shut you down." She let Emma go, and held her by her shoulders, gripping on to her with everything she had. "I think you have feelings for him. Those feelings are turning into love. And you're scared because of what happened the last time you loved someone. But you have to understand, love is different for all people. You're always going to get your heart broken, but you have to figure out who's worth the pain. You have to deal with a lot of darkness, before you can find your light. And Emma, I think you've found it with Killian."

* * *

She stood at Crocodile Creek, moonlight shining in her hair. She stared in the lake, watching her reflection. And for the first time ever, she understood why Killian always told her she was an open book. Her eyes gave away her stories without her saying a word. The loneliness in her eyes gave off the abandonment issues. The heartbrokenness gave off her trust issues. But Emma saw something in her eyes she hadn't seen recently. There was a light in it, shining brighter than the loneliness and heartbrokenness ever could. What could that new light be…?

_Love?_

She sat down, swirling her finger in the creek. No wonder Killian was here last night. This was so comforting. "Emma," She heard a voice speak. It seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where she heard it.

She turned around, surprised at what she saw. "Felix?"

He waked closer, and she could see that he had green eyes like hers – but she couldn't find warmth in them. They were emerald green, and like a bottomless pit of darkness. "Oh, I'm so glad you remember me! Did I make a good impression?"

"No."

"What a shame," His finger trailed from her forehead to her left cheek. She was too surprised to even flinch. "I haven't been able to get you out of my head since I met you, Emma Swan."

"_Get away from her._" They turned around to see an angry Killian. And he brought Emma's gun. _Impressive; very impressive, Killian_.

"What are you going to do?" Felix asked, sounding disinterested, totally ignoring the gun.

"You obviously have no idea what this is," He nodded over to the gun he held. "This contraption – _gun_ – is a murder weapon. If I pressed this thing, it will shot a bullet at you _very_ quickly, and it will go _straight_ through you. So if I shot your _heart_ or your_ brain_, you'd be dead in less than twenty seconds."

Terror faltered across his dark eyes for a moment, but left as quickly as it came. Then he moved so that he was directly in front of Emma. "Shoot me then, _Captain_, and it'll go straight through Emma too." He said coolly.

_Bloody hell_, Killian thought to himself. He hadn't counted that as a factor. Nor would he think Felix would've realized that. He wasn't this smart when they were still friends. "Get away from, Emma, Felix." This time it almost sounded like a plead rather than a demand.

"You can't do anything to me, Captain. And besides, I'm beginning to take a liking to _Emma_." He said. "Unless she is spoken for …?"

_Spoken for?_

"Yes! Emma's spoken for! Now let her go." He said, his veins protruding out of his jaw and his fist clenched.

"By who?"

"By me," He growled. "Now go, Felix."

He turned to Emma. "Bye now Emma, I hope your wounds heal quickly." _How the hell does he know about that?_ He walked over to Killian. "You better not be lying to me, _Peter_," He growled into Killian's ear. "If she's spoken for, I want you to prove it, before I take her for myself."

Another pain jutted out of Killian's jaw, but he quickly calmed it down. "Of course," He whispered to Felix. So he walked over to Emma and leaned into her. "Just play a long, love." And he closed the space between them, gently kissing the skin _just to the left_ of her lips for a few seconds.

_Well done, Peter. But I will have her one way or another… _And Felix vanished.

"What was that?" Emma growled when he stopped, nearly punching him.

"Don't try to lie to me, lass; I know you enjoyed that." Killian said, smirking at him. "And Felix threatened to take you for himself unless I proved that you're mine."

"Oh," She said simply. It was all she could say.

_ I am yours, but I don't think you know it yet._

* * *

**Reviews? Sorry it's kinda short. And a little sucky.**

**So, I''m not allowed to post a link the the picture for some reason -_- But if you have an instagram, it's on the account 'colorlessem0tions_' and it's the most recent picture uploaded. Feel free to follow me (I promise I'll follow back) or like the picture while you're at it ;)**


	8. Confrontation

Chapter Seven

* * *

_"You're not_

_The only one falling"_

_- Lena Duchannes, Beautiful Creatures_

* * *

Killian searched with Snow by Mermaid Lagoon, he was used to – and _preferred_ – searching with Emma. But today, Charming insisted on going with her and Snow decided to go with him instead.

_Damn Charmings._

"So, Hook. I would like to talk to you." Snow said distantly, patting her sword. Her eyes seemed to say, _Say anything I don't like, and I'll carve your throat out. _"About Emma. My_ daughter_ Emma."

_Jeez, they're all crazy_. "Talk then, milady."

"First of all, I don't think you should call me that." She smiled but was staring intensely at his throat. "Do you have any feelings for my daughter?"

"It's compli – "He said, almost repeated the exact words he said to Ariella.

"Don't you dare tell me _it's complicated_. That's bullshit and you know it. Do you or do you not have any feelings for my daughter."

"Yes…"

This time she smiled and it was sincere. "Good."

He turned to her, staring at her with great confusion. "My queen – "

"Don't call me that either."

"I think I must've heard you wrong. _Did you say it was good that I have feelings Emma?_" He asked. "_Your only daughter, Emma?_"He added. _What are you doing, you bloody idiot? That's obviously not going to help your case._

"Yes, I did." Snow said with confidence. "Emma … _likes_ you too. Sure, you wouldn't be my first choice for Emma, but you make her happy, without her even knowing. I can see it in her eyes; there's a light in them. That light, it used to be dim and cloudy. Now, it's at its brightest, and I'm pretty sure that's because of you/ I want her to have her best chance, and I believe that's with you. "

"I – "

"Just don't get it twisted," She said, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "Emma may trust you, but I don't, well not completely. Emma's heart has been broken before, and I refuse to let it happen again. You need to promise me you won't break my daughter's heart, unless it's somehow a life or death situation."

_Bipolar, much? _"I promise, milady."

She ignored the 'milady' comment. "Good," She said, letting him go, and smiling almost _psychotically _at him. "I was afraid I'd have to chop your balls off."

Killian wasn't familiar with that term, but he figured it wouldn't be a good thing. _Mothers are all crazy_.

* * *

When Killian and Snow returned back from Mermaid Lagoon, both of them were smiling incredulously. Killian took one look at Emma and leaned into Snow, whispering into her ear. Blood boiled deep beneath Emma's skin. Were they making fun of her? No, this was her _mother_. But she didn't know whether to be angry or jealous.

Her mind settled for angry, but her heart settled for jealous.

Snow immediately went to Charming and Killian to Emma. His smile vanished when he saw the deadly expression Emma's face. "Aye, what's the matter love?"

"Why are you flirting with me Mother?" Emma growled with a tone so venomous it could kill innocent creatures.

"Swan, I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about." He said sincerely. "I would never go after a lady that is spoken for."

Instantly, Emma thought of Milah, but she decided to let the thought of her go. It would be a low blow and she knew it. Killian didn't _go_ _after _her; Milah _went to_ him. "Well, it sure seems like it." She hissed.

_I have my sights set on you, and only you, Emma._ He leaned in, suddenly too close to her, but she refused to back away. In fact, she stepped up so that they were nose to nose. "What's it to you, Swan?" He asked. "Are you jealous, love?"

"I – of course not!" She spat, lying terribly to him.

A soft finger traced the luminous skin from Emma's forehead down to her cheek, his touch sending sparks all over her body. "There's no need for you to be jealous. " He whispered, the feeling of Killian's touch still lingering on Emma's cheek. "I have eyes only for you."

Emma backed away from him, choking back a million tears, but they were still very close to one another. "This isn't the time to flirt with me, Hook."

He stepped toward her, cupping her cheeks. His eyes were the palest blue she'd ever seen in his life. Too many emotions poured out from them; she couldn't decipher any of them. "I'm being honest, Emma."

"This – this isn't the best time for this."

"Then when would be?" He snapped. "When we find Henry? When we leave Never Land?"

"What are you saying, Hook?" Emma asked, her voice laced with hurt. "She stepped away from him. "That we'll never find Henry?"

"No, no; that's not _at all_ what I'm trying to say." He said, but it was already too late. Emma was walking away from him. But Killian wasn't about to let another woman he cared for walk away from him again, so he followed her.

Emma was crying into her pillow when Killian found her back in their tent. She was going to tell him to go away, because she hated to let people see her crying. But she knew it would be pointless since he would just ignore her. He sat across from her, silently waiting for her to acknowledge that he was there. She looked at him and wiped away a tear, but remained silent. "What did Baelfire do to you?" Killian asked. She never told him anything about Neal, but he managed to put two and two together. "Why can't you trust anyone? Why can't you let anyone in?"

She smiled. Killian was the only person who still called Neal 'Baelfire.' "I was eighteen years old, I was young and I was stupid. It began when I stole a car that Neal had already stolen." Her eyes lit up as she noticed Killian's grin. "We stole thing; things we needed and things we didn't – "

"See, lass? You'd make a hell of a pirate."

She smiled softly, her lips just barely twitching upward, but it was enough to make Killian's day. "Yeah. Well that was our lifestyle for a long time. We stole things, everything and anything. It was fine, until one day Neal found out he was wanted for stealing watches a while ago, long before we had even met. We were supposed to meet up to sell those stolen watches. We were going to run away, start anew in Tallahassee. But he turned me into the police because fucking _Pinocchio _told him to. I was arrested for a crime I didn't even commit. In prison I found out that I was pregnant with Henry. I had to give birth to him in a _jail cell_. I gave him away because I wasn't ready to raise him. I wasn't ready to become a mother. I wanted to give Henry his best chance, and at the time, it wasn't with me." She stopped crying, but it was because she couldn't anymore. It was like she cried her eyes dry. "I thought that Neal loved me, but he was willing to throw away what we had so easily, without even fighting."

He grabbed Emma and held her tightly. "Emma," He murmured into her soft hair. "I'm not Baelfire; I won't do that to you." He thought back to what he told Rumpelstiltskin when Milah and he were going to run away together. _A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets. _"Let me in." _Just like I let you in… _

"I can't," She sobbed, speaking into Killian's coat. "I want to, but I can't. It's just too hard after what Neal did to me. I had trouble trusting my own _son_ because of him. And then you came along, and you managed to get under my skin right away. That night on the beanstalk, I was scared. We barely knew each other and I already trusted you so much, so much more than I should've, and it scared me. Everybody I trust just ends up leaving me, I just couldn't risk that happening with you too, Hook."

"It's okay," Killian whispered and he meant it. Emma wasn't ready to let anyone else into her heart yet, and he understood. So the two of them sat together in silence, the feeling of Killian's arms wrapped tightly around her burned into Emma's mind to stay there forever.

* * *

A few days passed since the incident in the tent. Neither of them had brought it up ever since then. It was like it never happened. The two of them were exploring the woods leading to Cannibal Cove.

It was getting dark, but none of them had notices until the sky was a deep blue-gray and the sun had completely disappeared from the sky. "We need to get back to the camp." Emma said, looking around at the coming darkness that surrounded them.

"Right you are, lass," Killian said, the two of them turning and walking in the other direction. "This is when the Shadow would be coming out."

"Tell me about him," Emma blurted out. She instantly regretted it. Even though she was curious about the Shadow, she didn't want to find out. The idea of a shadow flying around Never Land and in the land without magic kidnapping little children scared the living hell out of her.

He looked confused for a second, but he didn't deny her of her request. "The Shadow is a black silhouette with eyes the glow a bright golden color. He's been in Never Land longer than I have. He's usually only out at night because it's easier to hide in the darkness. He searches all over the world for Peter, and even when he realizes that the child he took isn't him, he refuses to let them go back to their home. He's a damn monster."

And right on cue, the Shadow appeared from the darkness, his eyes on Emma for a quick second, but soon returned over to Killian, shooting him a glare. "Is that really what you think of me, Killian?"

"Leave us!" He yelled with a confidence, but then an idea came to Emma's head.

"Wait, don't go," Emma begged, and the Shadow smirked. Of course he wasn't going to go anywhere. "You have my son, Henry" She was trying to be calm and polite with him, for Henry's sake.

"Henry…" He thought back to boy he was holding hostage. He was a stubborn one. He refused to cooperate with them, and it made things harder. "What about him?"

"Well, I kind of was wondering if you give him back?" She asked sheepishly, and Killian was shooting her a look that said, '_What the hell are you doing?_'

He laughed cruelly in her face, and that was when Emma decided to drop the nice girl act. "_Give me my son back_." She hissed at him, nearly lunging at him, but Killian held her back.

"Why would I do that?" He asked harshly. The Shadow needed Henry, there was no way he was going to return him back to her – no matter how much she intrigued him.

Killian pushed Emma behind him. "It's not Henry you want, and you know it." He said. "You want _me_. Let Henry go, and I'll go with you."

Emma nearly protested but the Shadow cut her off. He flew over there so that he hovered directly across from Killian, nose to nose. "What makes you think I need _you_?! Because I don't! You grew up; I have no use for you now." He hissed. "I told you to leave Never Land and _never _come back. How dare you return? I should kill you right _now_."

"Then do _it_," He growled, showing no fear. "Did you honestly think that I would listen to _you_? Of course I would return to Never Land. _You took her son._ And we're not leaving without him."

"Then I guess you'll be staying in Never Land _forever_." He sneered. "I'll leave you two for now, but this is _my_ land. I reign here, not _you_, not anymore. I don't want to see you again, _Killian_. And as for you, _Emma_, I'll be seeing you again, _soon_."

"No, you won't!" He barked, throwing his fist in the air, but the Shadow had already disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

When the two of them returned back to camp, Snow ran to Emma, hugging her tightly. "Thank God you're back; I thought the Lost Boys kidnapped you or something. Don't just disappear like that!"

"Sorry," Emma mumbled, but it came out as a strangled choking noise.

"What happened?"

It was obvious that Emma didn't want to answer, so Killian did for her. "We were going to look around in Cannibal Cove, but we got distracted so we never ended up getting there. On our way back we had a run-in with someone…"

Snow eyed him dangerously. "What got you two distracted?"

"Mary Margaret!" Emma exclaimed, blood rushing to her cheeks.

Killian only laughed. "No, it's quite all right, lass." He said, still chuckling a little. "We were just talking."

She scoffed, obviously not believing him. "And you two were wearing clothes when you were talking?" She asked with an eyebrow raised. Despite how serious her question was, she spoke in a teasing tone and wore a smirk on her lips.

"Mary Margaret, that's enough!" Emma cried, blushing now more furiously than ever. If it weren't for the fact that this was her _Mom_ speaking, she would've been laughing.

"I'll let you figure it out for yourself," Killian said, grinning. "Good night Snow." _Snow?_ _Since when was he on a first name basis with my Mom?_

Emma was still blushing when Killian had returned back to their tent. "Oh, lighten up, Emma." Snow said, smiling softly at Emma. "I was just kidding."

"I know," She returned the smile to Snow, but her eyes were distant, still thinking about what the Shadow told her earlier.

_What did he want with her?_

* * *

** Reviews?**

** So I was wondering if anyone wanted to help me with the Fan Fiction. I'm not looking on for a full on co-author or anything like that, but more of a consultant. Whenever I finish writing a chapter, I want to be able to send it to someone they they could like check it over, and maybe tell me what to add to the chapter, what to take out, etc. I also kind of need them to be good at writing smut, however, because I suck at it. Or if you guys would rather there' no smut in the Fan Fiction, I'll change the rating to T. PM me if you're interested! (I'm treating this like an interview)**


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